News

Santorum Campaigns in LeMars

(LeMars) -- Presidential hopeful, and former Pennsylvania Senator, Rick Santorum, is scheduled to make a campaign stop in LeMars today. Santorum will make an appearance at the Four Brothers Restaurant beginning at 12:30 p.m. According to polls, Santorum is near the bottom of presidential picks, with single digits approval.

(LeMars) -- Plymouth County elected officials met with the Plymouth County Compensation Board on Friday afternoon to start discussions of salaries for the upcoming year. In each instance, the county officials made comparisons of their salary to other officials of similar positions in other counties of Iowa, and with administration officials of the city of LeMars. In many cases, the salary paid to Plymouth County officials were below the counties with similar populations, and below the state-wide average wage for the position. Each elected official asked for an increase in wages that would be on pace with the rising cost of living. County Auditor Stacey Feldman informed the board of how LeMars city officials' salaries compare to hers.

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County Recorder, JoLynn Goodchild asked the compensation board to consider a four percent increase in salary wages, but a board member John Koley questioned whether a four percent increase would actually be enough, saying Goodchild and her staff in the Recorder's office would still be below the average.

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County Attorney Darin Raymond asked the board to consider a raise of salary equal to seven percent of his present salary. Sheriff Mike Van Otterloo said he would certainly be pleased with a three percent increase, noting he is more interested in having money for his deputies and for needed equipment. The Compensation Board will meet a second time next Friday to offer their recommendations to the Plymouth County Board of Supervisors.

ORANGE CITY, Iowa (AP) - A Marine has returned home to Orange City to recover from injuries suffered when a bomb went off in Afghanistan. Lance Cpl. Alex Nguyen suffered a shattered ankle and foot as he was trying to detonate a roadside bomb in late September. He's spent the past two months at a hospital in Virginia. He returned home on Thursday. Nguyen was seven months into an eight-month deployment when he was hurt. He says he'd like to continue to serve in the Marines or help other amputees in their recovery.

(LeMars) -- The LeMars Board of Zoning Adjustment are scheduled to meet on Tuesday morning. They will consider a request for conditional use variance on an aprtment dwelling owned by Richard Schultz. The property in question is located at 420 2nd Avenue North East.

(LeMars) -- The Floyd Valley Hospital Board of Trustees have scheduled a special meeting for Tuesday morning at 7:00 a.m. to review and approve the Hospital audit and presented by Denman and Associates.

FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) - A woman found guilty of 1st-degree murder in the 2001 slaying of her 20-year-old neighbor is scheduled to be sentenced Monday in Webster County District Court. A jury found 45-year-old Tracey Richter guilty of killing Dustin Wehde to quiet him in a convoluted plot to kill her husband. She was convicted on Nov. 7 in Fort Dodge. Richter claimed she killed Wehde in self-defense during a home invasion. Prosecutors say there was no home invasion and that Richter lured Wehde to her house in Early, had him write a notebookthat her ex-husband had hired him to kill her and their son, thenshot Wehde to keep him quiet. Richter faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole. Before her trial she had been living in Omaha, Neb.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - The Iowa Natural Resources Department says at least three people were shot during hunting accidents over the weekend. All three men are expected to survive their wounds. The department says a Grinnell man shot himself in a foot during a hunt in Page County on Saturday. Benjamin Park's gun fired after it got tangled in some bags he was carrying. Also Saturday, an Altoona man was injured in Lucas County. The department says Ryan Mills was shot when a deer ran between him and other people in his hunting group. The department says Thomas Burns, of Waterloo, was shot on Sunday while hunting in Appanoose County. Burns was shot when another person in his group shot at a running deer.

CLEAR LAKE, Iowa (AP) - A 92-year-old great-grandmother has waded into the freezing water of Clear Lake, joining others at the annual Polar Bear fundraiser. Rosie Jacobsen, of Nora Springs, told the Mason City Globe Gazette that Sunday's event "was such a great day for me." She was joined by a great-granddaughter, granddaughter and daughter-in-law. Jacobsen stopped when the water was still below her knees but still got a high-five and a handshake for her willingness to join about 500 other people. They raised $21,000 for Make-A-Wish and Toys for Tots. Jacobsen's great-grandson, 6-year-old Lukas Jacobsen, was born with a heart condition. He received a wooden swing set through Make-A-Wish.

A Christmas Carol Uniquely Staged in Orange City

(ORANGE CITY) -- Christmas can bring a feeling of nostalgia for many, and what

better way to harness that feeling than a presentation of "Charles Dickens: A

Christmas Carol" done as a live radio play. The SchoolHouse Theater Company

will be presenting this holiday treat at Orange City town hall beginning this

weekend. The stage will be set as a 1940's sound stage, with the actors dressed

as radio actors for that era. Lois Estell is one of the actors in the production.

She says that a show like this gives the actors a chance to concentrate on using voices and creating

characters without having to move around, and gives the audience free imaginative reign.

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Estell adapted Dicken's novel, which is in public domain, into the script that

will be presented and Linda Dykstra scripted the parts of the show that bring in

the 1940's radio vibe- things like the introduction of the actors, live

commercials and musical interludes. Other cast members include: John Brogan as

Ebenezer Scrooge, Meghan Aardsma and Jack Bonnecroy.

No matter what version of A Christmas Carol is your favorite, Estell says that

the adaptation of Dickens dialogue stays true to tradition and character

descriptions are bit vague so the audience can picture their favorite moments in

their mind.

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The SchoolHouse Company, in conjunction with the Orange City Arts Council, is

presenting “A Christmas Carol: A Live Radio Play” in the Orange City Town Hall

December 8-10 and 15-17 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for students and seniors, and may be reserved